Eternal Flame
by Dr. Cameron
Summary: Allison Cameron fell in love nine years ago, but was never able to act on those feelings, and it's been haunting her ever since. But now, she's getting a second chance at love. CamJoe.
1. Chapter 1

This story is about Cameron and her old love, Joe. I'm writing this because I think they would make such a great couple, and it would be a nice change to see her with someone outside of the House cast for once. Also, I think it is so heartbreaking that circumstances beyond their control kept them from being together nine years ago. It doesn't seem like the House writers are going to be putting them together anytime soon, so I thought I'd take the liberty of doing it myself.

As always, please read and review!

* * *

"Prepare for the fireworks," Chase said, entering the diagnostics office.

"Why? What'd you do?" Cameron asked, turning around from where she stood at the coffee maker.

"Why do you automatically assume that _I _did something?" he asked her, a bit hurt.

"Because you have a very smug look on your face," Foreman responded.

Chase looked at the two. He'd been caught. Okay, may as well tell them. "I stole House's Vicodin," he announced proudly.

"You what!" Cameron cried, shocked. "Chase, he needs that stuff!"

"Chill, I'll give it back, but I couldn't resist, I had the perfect opportunity. It was just sitting there, unattended. Anyone could have come up and swiped it."

"Why would House leave his vicodin lying around?" Foreman wondered out loud.

"I don't know, it doesn't sound like House," Cameron replied.

"You guys are so missing the bigger picture here!" Chase exclaimed. They turned to stare at him. Chase sighed, _amateurs_. "This is our perfect opportunity to see him squirm!"

"Don't you remember what happened the last time he went off his vicodin? He almost killed the patient," Cameron scolded him.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna let it get that far," Chase told her.

"On the other hand, it might be nice to see him running around barking at everyone because he can't find it. And how many times do we get to know something he doesn't?" Foreman asked. Cameron and Chase both let out small laughs.

"Allison?"

She looked up, and immediately went pale. She couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Her mind raced, as she tried to regain her motor skills.

Foreman and Chase had turned around too and were now staring back and forth between Cameron and the man standing in the doorway, with confused expressions on their faces.

_No, no, no. He can't be here. Not now. Not ever. _She didn't know whether to run or scream.

At that exact moment, House decided to walk into the room via his office door. "Okay, who decided to steal my vicodin?" He sensed the tension in the room and noticed the look on Cameron's face. "What's going on?" he asked the room at large in a serious tone. Then he followed her gaze to the man by the door. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

"Uh…hi, I'm Joe, a friend of Allie's," the man said.

"Allie, huh?" House said, amused, and looked back at his only female, and secretly favourite, duckling. "You know this guy?" he asked her.

"I…um," Cameron started.

"Y-You…" House mocked her, getting impatient. His leg was throbbing. He'd already figured out that one of the ducklings had stolen his trusty vicodin, he just didn't know whom. But he was going to be screaming bloody murder once he did.

"Allie? Can we talk for a minute?" the man called Joe asked.

Since she still was having trouble forming words, House decided to step in. "How 'bout you come back when she's coherent," he told Joe.

Joe looked at Allison for a long moment, but then nodded and left.


	2. Chapter 2

I know, I know, it took way too long, but here is the next chapter of Eternal Flame. A little short, but oh well, sometimes that happens.

Please, please give me your thoughts!

* * *

"So, what was that all about?" House asked, making his way over to the conference table, casually leaning against it, and looking at Cameron, as if he expected to be thoroughly entertained by her answer to his question.

"I…have to go," Cameron said, not making eye contact with him.

"Uh, no you don't," House said.

She turned around to look at him. "What do you want from me House?" she asked in an irritated tone.

House was taken aback by her sharp response. "Geez, relax. The way your acting is like this guy's got some serious dirt on you that you don't want getting out."

She was quiet for a moment. No one in the room moved. Then House spoke again. "But I don't buy that. You're too much of a goody-two-shoes for him to have anything good on you. So, what's the real reason you don't want this guy around?"

"I didn't say I didn't want him around."

"Oh yeah, that was so obvious, seeing as how you just jumped into his arms with joy the minute he walked through the door."

Cameron sighed. _How to get out of this, how to get out of this…_

Finally she decided she couldn't make an easy exit, and just had to make a run for it.

"Just leave me alone House," she said, fury in her voice, and she stormed out of the diagnostics office.

House moved to follow her but the sound of Foreman's voice stopped him. "House, just let her go."

House looked at him bewildered. How could he not want an explanation for what had just happened?

"This has been enough drama for her for one day," Foreman explained, as if he had heard House's thoughts. "Just leave her alone for a while and approach the subject again once she's calmed down."

He had to admit, the man spoke sense. He didn't like it, but he decided to take Foreman's advice and give Cameron some space. He'd spend the rest of the day losing himself in a mind-boggling case.

Cameron ran from the building and into the spacious parking lot. She closed her eyes and let the cool air hit her face. Normally, Cameron wouldn't have lost it and run out of the room like that. It simply wasn't professional. Cameron always did the proper thing. She never did anything crazy, unless she didn't know how to handle something, and then all her logic went out the window. But this wasn't a normal situation. Joe was back. Back in her life after nine years without a word. Why? Why was he doing this to her? It's not that she didn't want to see him, deep down, she did, it's just that every time she looked at him she was transported back to the time when Jack had been sick. The endless months of sitting by his hospital bed, watching him gradually die. She couldn't go through that again. It had been hard enough the first time.

She opened her eyes and started walking towards her car. She just needed to go home and take a nice, long bubble bath to sort out her feelings. Actually, the bubble bath didn't necessarily matter, as long as she was away from House. He had been so cruel. Prying into her life like that. And in front of her co-workers too. Did he have no shame? Oh well, it didn't matter, as long as she stayed away from him. If she didn't, there was no telling what she would do. Attacking her boss was probably not a smart move.

She got in her car and drove home, fighting back tears. Okay, she just needed to think. In a few hours, she'd have a plan together, just like she always did, because Allison Cameron always knew what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Yes, it's very long overdue, and I'm sorry, but I've got the next chapter done too, so there won't be as long a wait between this one and that one. I really hope you're all enjoying this story:)

Please R & R!

* * *

Joe Deveraux sat in his hotel room. He was thinking; about the look on Allison's face when she saw him. He hadn't expected that. He didn't mean to shock her so much. Maybe he should have called first.

But he knew why he didn't call. He was afraid she would tell him not to come. That she would start screaming at him and telling him she hated him. He didn't want to risk that, so he just hopped on a plane and hoped for the best. But also, he wanted to get to her pronto. He had waited nine years. Nine years too long. There was no reason why they couldn't be together. Not now, at least.

FLASHBACK

She sat in his hospital room. He was asleep, again, and she was sitting in the chair next to the bed, just staring at him. Joe came down the hall and saw them through the window. She looked tired. She looked frail. She looked like she was going to crack at any moment.

He entered the room and she glanced up at him. He gave her a small smile, which she returned.

"Hey, how's he doing?"

"The new treatment's taking a toll, but he's out now, so it's okay,"

Joe looked at her for a long moment. "And how are you?"

"I'm fine,"

"Allison,"

"What?"

"You need to take care of yourself too,"

"I told you, I'm fine. And I have to be here for him," she said, turning back to look at her husband.

"C'mon," Joe said. "Let's go for a walk."

She looked at him, surprised. "But what if he needs me?"

"He's asleep now."

"He could wake up."

"Then the nurses are here, and they can page us. Now c'mon."

Allison hesitated, but then got up and followed Joe out the door. She didn't ask where they were going, she just followed his lead. They ended up outside on the hospital grounds. By the side of the building, there was a trail that led down to a lake, and they took it, neither saying anything for the first couple minutes, and then Joe spoke.

"How's school?" They both found it ironic that he was saying that. Even though he was only four years older than her, it still felt awkward for some reason.

"It's good. I'm thinking of taking a leave of absence, to be with Jack."

"But you're already here 24/7."

She gave him a look. "I'm sorry, but you're doing all you can for him. There's not much more you can do."

"No, it's not fair to him or my studies. Besides, it's not indefinite."

Joe decided to let the subject drop as they neared the lake. They headed over to a bench and sat down.

"So, how's work?" she asked.

"Busy," Joe responded. "We've got three new clients that are all demanding our full attention." Joe worked in architecture, and Allison found it fascinating. "See that building over there?" he asked, indicating across the horizon. "We designed that." It was a beautiful, obscure white building. Allison couldn't find the word for it, but it was beautiful.

"Wow," she said.

"Yeah, I've always loved that one too."

Joe then decided to take the opportunity to fill her in on all of the developments in "the real world". That is, the world outside of the hospital, which was basically where she was living. His main objective was to get her mind off Jack, and how quickly he was ailing.

It seemed to work, and she even smiled a few times, which was nice to see. Eventually, they headed back to the hospital, and she got that worried look on her face again, like their time at the lake hadn't happened, and her worries hadn't gone away for a few minutes.

It had started out so innocent, but then the walks became a regular thing. Everyday when he came by after work, they would take the same trail down to the lake. Allison found herself looking forward to it all day. And so did Joe. She found she didn't have to pretend with him. She put up such a brave face in front of Jack. But it was taking it's toll on her. She needed an outlet for all the emotions she was feeling, and Joe was it.

What she didn't plan on was what transpired from those walks. Allison and Joe found themselves falling in love with each other.

ENDFLASHBACK

Allison Cameron paced back and forth in her apartment. A plan was forming in her head, of what to do, what to say. She knew she wanted to see Joe. She had wanted to see him for nine years. After Jack died, all she had wanted was to get as far away from Joe as possible, and push him out of her head. She had done a good job with that. She went to a medical school far away, and then moved again when she did her internship, just in case he tracked her down. When she applied for the job in New Jersey, moving around had just become a regular thing for her. That time, she did it without even thinking of him. But now she couldn't run anymore. He was here, and she just had to face that.

Sighing, she sat down and picked up the phone, dialling that oh so familiar cell phone number.

"Hi," she said softly.


	4. Chapter 4

In this chapter, Allison and Joe talk for the first time in nine years. I know it's a bit of a sappy love story, but that's exactly what I think these two have, so go with it. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a good romance every so often, is there?

Review's greatly appreciated!

* * *

In old movies, diners are where long conversations between star-crossed lovers occur late at night. In Princeton, New Jersey, Mo's Diner on Front Street was where a conversation between a man and a woman was about to occur, but it wasn't what you'd see in an old movie.

Allison was nervous. She was trying to keep her hands from shaking. _It's now or never Allie,_ she thought to herself. She got out of her car and made her way across the street. When she opened the door, she saw Joe sitting in a booth by the window, fumbling with the salt shaker. Apparently, he was having problems with his hands too.

When she reached the table they both looked at each other and the corners of their lips slowly turned up.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she responded.

As she sat down, the waitress came over and asked what they wanted. They ordered, and the woman left them alone again to stare at each other.

"You look good," Joe told her.

"So do you," she said politely.

"And you're a doctor. Wow. I'm proud of you Allie."

She didn't know why, but what he'd said annoyed her a little and prompted her next question.

"Why are you here Joe?"

He sighed. He knew this was coming. Obviously, she'd want an answer, and she deserved one. "We wasted so much time Al,"

"There's a reason for that."

"I know, but he's gone now. We shouldn't keep living like if we do something then we'll be betraying him."

"It's not that easy Joe. I loved him. I still do. I can't just forget about what we had."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to give what we have a chance."

"But how do you know we even still have something? It's been nine years. We've changed. At least, I have."

"I knew the second I walked into your office. I know that sounds like a cliché, but the moment I saw you again I knew. We were meant to be Allie."

She looked away. This wasn't what she was expecting. Of course, what was she expecting? She wasn't sure of that either.

They were interrupted when the waitress showed up with their food, and they were silent for a few minutes as they ate. They inquired of the quality of each other's food, but that was about all they said to one another for a while.

Finally, Joe spoke up. "We can take it slow. If you want to do that, it's fine with me. I'm not going anywhere."

"Fine, slow," she said. "But I mean slow."

"I know, don't worry, I won't try to push you. Look, I'm staying at the Carlton. You can call me anytime you wanna get together."

It was then that a thought struck her. "Hey, why do you have all this time? Don't you have a job to get to?"

"I'm the boss now, I can work from wherever I want," he said smiling at her.

"The boss? Wow. That's great."

"Yeah, I've got my own company. The guys I've got working for me are pretty capable. I trust them, and I'm always a phone call away if anything comes up."

There. They had slipped into that old, comfortable conversation. It was so easy for them. They could go from the most awkward moment two people could have to the most casual, fun conversation without even trying. There was something about them. They just, fit like that.

After they finished their meal and paid the bill, they headed out to their separate cars.

"Um…Thank you, this was nice," Cameron said.

"Yeah, it was. And it was great to see you." Joe said. "Remember, don't hesitate to call."

This would usually be the time where they would stand, trying to figure out how to do the awkward goodbye. Do they hug? Do they shake hands? A quick peck on the cheek?

However, neither were really stuck with this decision, they both felt like they knew what to do immediately. Cameron stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Joe's neck as he pulled her into a hug. When was the last time they had done that? It felt so good to be in his arms again.

She smiled as she pulled away. "You either," she said, and got into her car. He stood there and watched her drive away, grinning from ear to ear.


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, next chapter up! I really hope you're all enjoying this. A good romance is nice every once in a while, right?**

**Pretty please review!**

Curiosity killed the cat. However, Greg House is not a cat. He found Cameron's little encounter with Joe-without-a-last-name to be extremely entertaining, and he didn't care if he was insinuating himself in her private life, something that was none of his business. House loved anomalies, and that's exactly what this was.

He was sitting in his office chair, feet up on the desk, throwing his ball in the air when he saw Cameron enter the conference room. A smile formed on his lips, and he got up, grabbing his cane, and headed through the door.

"So, are we going to have anymore scenes straight out of General Hospital today?"

Cameron rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry about yesterday, but no, we won't."

She sat down at the conference table with the boys and opened the file of their latest patient. House blinked several times.

"That's it? I don't get any details!"

"No, why would you?"

"Um, maybe because I'm your boss, and when my employees run off like that I wanna know where they are. I'm not paying you to play hooky."

"I know you're not, and I said I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

House sighed. This wasn't getting him anywhere. When did Cameron become the kind of person that didn't want to share things with people? He got her to tell him about her husband like _that_! Granted, he did have a bit more leverage in that situation, but still, why wasn't she willing to tell him about what happened now?

"I think we should redo the MRI," Cameron said, looking at House expectantly. He sighed, realizing she wasn't going to let him win this one, and dropped it, for now.

"Alright, fine, and get an LP while you're at it."

The ducklings stood up and exited the room, and House opened his Vicodin bottle, swallowing one dry. _You're not gonna pull the wool over my eyes that easily missy_, he thought, smirking to himself.

HMDHMDHMD

"So, do _we_ get an explanation for yesterday?" Foreman asked Cameron. The three of them were in the lab waiting for test results, and Cameron still hadn't offered up any information.

She sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"No," both men responded in unison.

She hesitated for a moment. "He's…an old friend of mine."

"Uh-uh. Gotta do better than that," Chase said.

"Fine. His name is Joe, and he was my husband's best friend." Both Foreman and Chase had heard rumours around the hospital that Cameron had been married, but neither had directly come out and asked her, and she never volunteered the information.

"And?" Foreman asked.

"And…he was sort of my friend. We were close when my husband got sick."

"So, when was the last time you saw him?" Chase inquired.

"Nine years ago." Cameron replied. They both raised their eyebrows at her. "I got busy. We both did. After the funeral, I went to med school, and he…did something. We just lost contact."

"That seems pretty odd. If he was your husband's best friend and all."

"I said he was my husband's best friend, not mine." The comment surprised Foreman and Chase, but they chose wisely to ignore it.

"So, are we gonna get a formal introduction to this guy?" Foreman asked.

Cameron smiled a bit. "Maybe. We'll see. I'm not even sure how long he's sticking around."

Then the machine beeped and she immediately busied herself with examining the test results.

HMDHMDHMD

"You are aware that this is extremely sad, right?" Wilson asked House. They were sitting in exam room one, watching something on a portable TV, Wilson wasn't exactly sure what it was, and House was filling him in on his mission to dig into Cameron's past.

"Oh, come on, you can't tell me you're not curious," House said in a tone that made him sound like a fifteen year old boy.

Technically, Wilson already knew who Joe was, and why his sudden presence had freaked Cameron out so much, but he had decided to keep his mouth shut, for her sake, and keep House in the dark. Yes, he'd be mad at him when he found out that Wilson knew the big secret all along (and he _would _find out), but Wilson felt that it was something he had to do.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe there's a reason she doesn't want you to know about this?"

"This is Cameron we're talking about. She has to tell somebody."

"So she'll tell Foreman and Chase."

"Not if I can get to her first."

Wilson rolled his eyes. It amazed him sometimes, how childish his friend could be. Why did he associate with this man again? "I'm just saying there are better ways you could be spending your time."

"No way. Diagnosing colds and examining hemorrhoids or investigating a mysterious man and his relationship with one of my lackeys. Hmm…yep. This is way more interesting."

"She'll end up resenting you for sticking your nose in it."

"Doesn't she already resent me? Besides, she can't stay mad at me for long. She loooovvvves me."

"Why do I even bother talking to you?" Wilson asked as he turned his attention back to the small screen and popped a sour candy in his mouth.

HMDHMDHMD

Cameron was sitting in the lab again, this time looking at a slide under a microscope, mostly because she just wanted something to do, when her cell phone rang. She picked it up off the counter beside her and placed it to her ear.

"Hello?"

After a moment she smiled. "Hey. I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon….Mm-hmm. I'm just finishing up something in the lab…Yeah, sure. I'll head home now and then you can meet me at my apartment?" She gave Joe her address and then they said their goodbyes. She packed up what she had been using and exited the lab. She now had an evening to look forward to.


	6. Chapter 6

Oh my God. I wrote this so long ago. I thought I'd posted it. Sorry :S

You know what really cheers a writer up? Reviews. :)

* * *

This was odd. Allison Cameron did not stand around in front of the mirror anxiously awaiting the arrival of a man. At least she hadn't, for a long time. She still went out on dates of course, but none of them made her as nervous as she was right now. 

Joe had told her to dress nicely, so she now stood in a flattering red cocktail dress, her hair in long controlled waves down her back.

When the doorbell rang excitement sprang through her. The butterflies vanished, and she ran to the door to open it. When she did, she saw Joe, handsomely dressed in a suit, which Allison guessed was Ralph Lauren, with a bouquet of red roses in one arm, and a huge toothy grin on his face.

He held the flowers out to her in greeting. "Thank you!" Cameron said, looking at them. "Red roses are my favourite."

"I know," he replied.

He stepped into the living room as she went to find a vase. Once the roses were settled on the table in front of the window, for all to see, they left, arm in arm.

"So where are we going?" Cameron asked, once they were in the car.

"Ever heard of Rosalyn's?"

"Yes! I love that place. But it's expensive. Joe, you don't have to go all out for this."

"I want to. Let somebody spoil you for once Allie."

Cameron sat back and just enjoyed the rest of the ride. Finally, they pulled up in front of the restaurant and headed inside.

"Hello!" The hostess said, greeting them.

"Hi, we have a reservation for two, name's Deveraux." Joe said to the woman.

They were quickly seated and brought menus. There was a band playing classical music, and several couples were on the dance floor. Cameron looked over at them and smiled.

"Wanna dance?" Joe asked.

"Oh no, not right now." She said looking back at him. "Why don't we order first?"

They did, and while they waited he managed to get her onto the dance floor. They laughed as he spun her around the room, making other couples take notice. After a few dances Cameron told him it was all her shoes were going to permit, and so they went and sat down again.

She told him all about being a doctor. And working for House, and about Foreman and Chase, and he told her about how he had started his own company, and his right hands, three guys, two of whom he had worked with at his last company. Yes, they had both become pretty successful, but the one thing they had always been missing in their lives was now staring them right in the face. And they'd be damned if they let it pass them by.

When he took her home and they got to her doorstep, he leaned in and kissed her.

"I always thought you looked amazing in red."

Cameron smiled. Yes, she definitely liked this.


	7. Chapter 7

Okay, here's the deal. I wrote this a long time ago, and didn't post it because I thought it was too short of a chapter. However, lacking new ideas at the moment, I figured I may as well just post it.

You know what helps get rid of writer's block? Reviews. :)

* * *

It had been a few weeks, and Joe was still in town. He and Cameron were seeing each other at least three times a week, and House was still trying to figure out what the big secret was. He was driving both himself and Cuddy insane.

"House! Will you please pull your head out of your ass and focus here!" Cuddy screeched at him, frustrated.

"Huh?" House looked up at her.

"You're losing it House. You're not paying attention to your cases, not being nearly as brilliantly snarky as usual, and if you don't stop this, somebody's gonna get killed. Now what the hell's going on?"

"What do you know about that Joe guy?"

Cuddy smiled. "So this is about Cameron."

"What? No! He just seems a little shady to me."

"Uh-huh," his boss said, clearly unconvinced.

"Oh will you people please get over this. I don't have a thing for Cameron!"

"Yeah, sure you don't."

House sighed. What was it going to take to convince everyone that he just hated not knowing things? He _did not_ have romantic feelings for his employee and he never would.

"Look, House, all I know is she seems happy with this guy. Don't screw that up for her." Cuddy turned on her heel and left the room.

_Great_, House thought. _Now where am I supposed to get my information?_

HMDHMDHMD

"Hey, Allie?" Joe called from the living room.

"Yeah?" Cameron responded from her place in the bedroom.

As Joe walked into the bedroom they both took note of something. They hadn't consummated their relationship yet. Allison had said she wasn't ready for that. They were practically living together, but that wasn't a step she was willing to take. Not yet.

"I, uh…I just wanted to mention something to you." Joe said awkwardly.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, I've been thinking. About possibly expanding my company. And I was thinking about maybe expanding it…here."

"Oh," Cameron said, shocked. "B-because of me?"

"You were definitely a big part of the decision making."

"Joe, I already think we're going a little fast. And it's not that I mind having you around, but I don't want to be responsible if you uproot your whole life here and this doesn't work out."

Joe sighed and went to sit down next to her on the bed, keeping his distance. "Sweetie, I know it's tough for you, but you've gotta at least acknowledge that we've got a really good thing going here. And I'm a big boy; I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't be having this conversation with you if I wasn't serious and aware of all the possible outcomes."

She smiled. "Okay, in that case, it sounds like a great idea." She leaned forward and kissed him. "So, tell me more about this expansion thing."


	8. Chapter 8

So I've been feeling like this story has been missing something, and it finally hit me. Conflict. So far it's been all lovey-dovey, because that's what I think of when I think of Cameron and Joe. But let's get real here, their relationship, if they ever had one, would be bound to come across some bumps in the road, and I can't ignore that in this story. If anything, it might make their relationship stronger. So, here we go:

* * *

"Joe, where are we going?" A blindfolded Cameron asked her boyfriend of one whole month. 

"Just wait and see. I want it to be a surprise," he said, guiding her carefully forward.

A few paces later they stopped. "Okay, you can take off the blindfold now," Joe announced.

Cameron removed the cloth and took in the sight before her. They were standing in front of…erm, an abandoned building?

"Uh…it's nice, Joe." Cameron said sweetly.

"But?"

"But…what's so important about it?"

Joe laughed. "I bought it."

"You _what_?"

"I bought it."

"Why?"

"Because I thought it would be better than running the new Princeton office out of my car."

"Oh," Cameron said, realization dawning on her face. "This is for your company."

"Yeah, what'd you think? I suddenly developed an interest in graffiti covered buildings?"

Cameron rolled her eyes and smiled. "Come on," Joe said, "let me show you the inside."

"Is there anything in it yet?"

"No."

Cameron didn't bother asking why they were going in then.

It might not have looked like anything special on the outside, but on the inside, you could definitely see it becoming something.

"We're gonna rip this wall out, and put in a big window here, and put a bunch of design tables over here," Cameron smiled, looking at him. He was so enthusiastic about this new business venture. She thought it was cute. And it meant so much to her that she was the one he wanted to share it with. Whether she liked it or not, she was a big part of his life now. And she definitely liked it.

"What?" Joe asked, stopping and noticing his girlfriend, smirking at him.

"Just you," she responded. "I think it's great that you're so excited about this."

It was Joe's turn to smile. "Come here," he said.

She stepped towards him and they shared a deep and passionate kiss. When they came up for air, Joe said, "You know what's also so great about this place?"

"What?" Cameron asked.

"I'm gonna have a nice, big, _private_ office, right over here," he pulled her towards the back corner of the building.

"Oh, I see. Where you're gonna get lots of work done, right?"

"Oh, of course. But you know what they say about all work and no play…" he trailed off as they went back to kissing. Cameron giggled as they collapsed onto the floor together.

HMDHMDHMD

Gregory House sat in his car off to the side of the freeway, with a puzzled look on his face. _What's so important about a ratty old building? Cameron must be easy to impress._

Suddenly, his cell phone rang, and he quickly picked it up.

"Yeah?"

"I think I found what you wanted," a male voice said.

"Tell me it's something good."

"Oh it is. Trust me."

"We'll meet at the regular spot. Twenty minutes." With that he hung up and drove off, taking one last look at the warehouse.

HMDHMDHMD

It was a rare thing for the ducklings to get together in a social environment. They were always working, and even when they weren't, they were usually down each other's throats about something pertaining to work that they didn't want to be anywhere near each other.

Tonight, however, was a special occasion. It seemed that all three of them had found themselves a significant other, and wanted to share it with each other.

So here they were all seated around a table for six at a fancy restaurant, laughing and telling stories, just enjoying each other's company. It was a little bit scary, how normal and picturesque it seemed, but they didn't care. They were just having a good time.

"So Joe, any embarrassing stories you'd like to tell us about Cameron?" Foreman asked. He was seated at the other side of the table, with his arm draped around his girlfriend, Lola, giving off the signal that he was going to make it a race to the altar.

"Well, actually…" Joe started.

Cameron whacked him in the arm. "Don't even."

Across the table, Chase and his date, Heidi, started to giggle. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can tell you one about Robert."

"Robert," Cameron and Foreman mocked in unison.

"Yeah, yeah," Chase replied, annoyed. "That's my name y'know."

The group continued to laugh and lightly tease each other. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves, until it started to rain.

Cameron saw him first, out of the corner of her eye. She looked away and tried to convince herself she was just imagining it. She wasn't used to being this happy without something going terribly wrong, and so her mind must just be playing tricks on her, that's all.

But then Foreman noticed him, and that's when she knew it was a reality.

"Oh no, here we go," the neurologist groaned.

"What?" Lola asked.

Foreman looked to Joe and Heidi, as though speaking on behalf of the three ducklings. "We are so so sorry."

By this time Chase had glanced over too and caught the not so lovely sight of their boss coming towards the table.

"Oh bollocks."

"Hey everyone! Having a nice time?" House just started talking, without even apologizing for interrupting. Not that any of his underlings expected him to, but still…

"House, can't you see we're in the middle of dinner?" Foreman asked.

"Oh, is that what all this food is for?!"

Everyone rolled their eyes. "House," Cameron spoke up. "What are you doing here?"

Wordlessly, House threw a file folder onto the table in front of her. "Read this."

"Can't this wait?"

"No."

Cameron sighed and picked up the file, deciding not to argue with her boss. As soon as she read and acknowledged whatever it was House was trying to show them all, he would leave them alone.

After a few moments Cameron's eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell is this?"

"Why don't you ask your boyfriend?"

Cameron turned to Joe. "What?" the architect asked, innocently.

Cameron showed him the file.

"Oh," he said. "Listen, Allie, I can explain that."

"Oh, this should be good!" House exclaimed excitedly, grinning.

Cameron looked at her boss with a death glare, and then stood up. She grabbed Joe by the arm and led him away from the table.

"What was that about?" Foreman inquired.

House was still grinning. "What did you do?" Chase demanded.

"Just proved to Cameron and everyone else that cares that that man isn't what he says he is."

HMDHMDHMD

Outside the restaurant, Cameron was standing across from Joe, arms crossed in front of her.

"Allie, honey-" Joe started.

"No, don't," Cameron cut him off.

"But I just want to explain."

"Don't bother, we're through." With that she turned on her heel and started to walk away. Then she turned around and added, "and don't ever call me again, Joe."

HMDHMDHMD

As Allison Cameron drove home, it actually did start to rain. She wondered why in times of crisis the weather always had to suck. But more importantly, she was still reeling from what she'd learned, via House of all people, about Joe. She couldn't believe it. She thought she knew everything she needed to about him. She thought he wasn't going to hurt her. She thought he cared about her. But now she knew that it was all lies. She felt betrayed, she felt heartbroken, she didn't know what to do.

When she got home she headed back towards her bedroom and lay down on the bed. It was the bed that she thought she'd be sharing with Joe sometime soon. She thanked herself for her restraint. This situation would have been so much worse had she taken that step with him.

That night Allison Cameron cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Listen, it pained me to write that last part, but like I said, every good story has a good conflict. I promise they'll make up soon. :) 


End file.
